Comments or concerns should be submitted by Tuesday, October 17, 2017 to eerfeedback@ontario.ca, by phone at 1-844-276-9091, or by mail at the Ontario Information Centre, Algonquin Land Claim, 31 Riverside Dr., Pembroke, ON, K8A 8R6

For all the details from the Province, including public meeting info, click here.

August 29, 2017 – FOCA has been notified that the next step towards a settlement of the Algonquin Land Claim involves an assessment of the potential environmental effects related to the proposed transfer of lands in accordance with the signed Agreement-in-Principle (AIP). The Agreement involves the transfer of approximately 117,500 acres of provincial lands to the Algonquins of Ontario.
The Draft Environmental Evaluation Report (EER) addresses environmental effects, which under the Environmental Assessment Act include social, cultural, economic and natural environment effects. In assessing the environmental effects of the transfer of provincial lands, it documents the effects to:

access;

industries, public utilities and business interests;

recreational uses;

adjacent land uses;

natural environment; and

cultural environment.

Ontario is seeking comment on the Draft EER from August 28, 2017 through October 17, 2017. All comments received during the notice period will be considered and a Final Environmental Evaluation Report will be prepared and released for public inspection.

The Draft EER can also be reviewed and commented upon during nine public open houses, or electronically.

October 2016 – FOCA received formal notice from the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, thanking FOCA for having been part of the Committee of External Advisors during the Agreement-in-Principle process. Read the Minister’s letter to FOCA, here. (PDF, 2 pages)

October 18, 2016 – After many years of negotiation and consultation, the Algonquins of Ontario today signed the Algonquin Land Claim Agreement in Principle(AIP) with the Governments of Ontario, and Canada. The signing of the AIP begins a process of negotiating a legally binding agreement between the parties and finalizing all aspects of the land, finances, and legal entitlements that are considered in this Agreement.

For those directly affected by the proposed terms (landowners, municipalities, businesses etc), the Government of Ontario will be communicating specifics in the weeks to come.

This new stage in the settlement signals the end of the formal role of FOCA, and other stakeholder groups as part of the Committee of External Advisors. FOCA will remain plugged-in to the negotiations specifically with the Province of Ontario representatives on behalf of our members in this region.

To view the maps of the specific lands that are part of the ALC Settlement Area(District of Nipissing, City of Ottawa, Counties of Renfrew, Hastings, Lanark, Lennox and Addington),click here .

Earlier News Items:

April 26, 2016 – Off-reserve Algonquins meeting May 29 (Pembroke Daily Observer)Chief of the Kinounchepirini Algonquin People says the government of Canada never really recognized off-reserve Algonquins, and because of that, they should reject the process itself.

Or, will we or future generations be obliged to start over to try to secure an agreement?”

December 2, 2015 – The Algonquins of Ontario have indicated that eligible Algonquin Voters will signify whether they approve of the terms of the proposed Agreement in Principle (AIP) through a ratification vote that will be held between February 29th and March 7th, 2016. Note that the proposed AIP is not a legally binding document, but it provides the framework for future negotiations towards a Final Agreement that will have the legal status of a modern-day Treaty. Read the full Press Release.

June 12, 2015 – In a News Release today, the Province of Ontario announced the initial signing of the Algonquin Land Claim Agreement-in-Principle, by the governments of Canada and Ontario and the Algonquins of Ontario.

The agreement-in-principle (AIP) is one step towards the negotiation of a final agreement.

According to the press Backgrounder released by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) on June 12:

“Provincial Crown lands identified for potential transfer to Algonquin ownership generated more public interest than any other element of the preliminary draft AIP. As a result of those consultations, modifications were made to 36 of the 221 proposed land parcels.”

However, FOCA has received no specific details about the modifications to the land parcels, mentioned above.

Also according to AANDC:

“It is anticipated that the proposed AIP will be put forward to the Algonquins of Ontario for a ratification vote. If it ratified, and then approved by the governments of Canada and Ontario, another stage of negotiations will begin. The end result would be a final agreement that will take the form of a modern-day treaty.”

Some background:

In February 2015, after several years with very sparse and selective communications, FOCA implored respectfully with the negotiators from the Provincial and Federal negotiators working on the Algonquin Land Claim to be kept in the loop on behalf of our members.

The response to FOCA’s request from Ontario’s chief negotiator was that they, “…will certainly try to keep you in the loop on our activities liaising with lake associations and of course you will be kept advised on the progress of the AIP.”

Despite being listed as members of the Committee of External Advisors (CEA), FOCA indicated that we were hearing nothing from either the negotiating team nor the people doing the field work on the proposed settlement lands. Regular communications, even by way of a regular update on current activities, next steps, recent developments etc., would be a distinct improvement, according to the communication from FOCA.

FOCA remains concerned that based on our first hand experience to date, in the void, thousands of people affected and interested in the Land Claim are left to create their own version of the management of this process, how it is being executed, and how (or if) the stakeholders’ interests are being considered.

In addition to seeking information regarding the status of the AIP overall, FOCA feels it is important for cottagers and other landowners to be kept informed of any agreements, negotiated settlements etc. with lake associations and individuals in the Land Claim area, as the Province continues to do their due diligence on the parcels of land being considered as part of the AIP.

By sharing this information with FOCA as a CEA member, we can be in a better position to understand the nature of the concerns and issues being discussed, and how these are being resolved/dealt with.

Despite recent official claims from Ontario stating “an unprecedented amount of information has been provided to the public,” many affected residents remain concerned and somewhat in the dark.

FOCA remains committed to a land claim process that genuinely considers existing landowners’ interests, their knowledge and their input.

More Info:

The Chief negotiator for the Algonquins of Ontario, Robert J. Potts, and Chief Kirby Whiteduck of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation were interviewed on June 22, 2015 on TVO’s The Agenda. You can read the transcript of this interview, by clicking here.

Negotiations have been in progress since the early 1990s. See the overview about the Land Claim from AANDC: here.